EOS 5D Mk II DLSR to be more cinema friendly

Canon preps firmware update

Canon will soon post new firmware for its EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR - reviewed here. The update will bring 24f/s and 25f/s HD video recording to the camera.

The EOS 5D can shoot video at 1080p, and the introduction of 24f/s recording - 23.97f/s, to be precise - will allow it to shoot footage at the same framerate cinema movies are filmed at.

The introduction of 25f/s shooting will make the camera more friendly for UK TVs. To date video had to be shot at the US-centric 30f/s, and the update will adjust that to 29.97f/s, the better to align video with the NTSC standard.

Canon also said the update with provide new histogram displays for shooting movies in manual exposure, shutter-priority and aperture-priority have been added, and exposure modes will also be available in movie mode.

Improved audio functionality will allow users to set sound record levels manually using a sound-level meter displayed on the LCD. The audio sampling frequency has also been increased from 44.1KHz to 48KHz, providing the optimum audio signal typically required for professional or broadcast material.

The firmware will be available to download from mid-March from the Canon website. ®